FIVE ROUNDS WITH UFC 130: RAMPAGE VS. HAMILL

By David Tees on 5/30/2011 9:09 PM

While it was definitely no Frankie Edgar/Gray Maynard III, Quinton Jackson and Matt Hamill did put on a show to headline a decent UFC event. Also, a heavyweight put himself back into title contention and another made an impact in the division. Plus, social media made its full time UFC debut and there may be a new top contender in the UFC Bantamweight Division.

Round One: Rampaging To The Top

Following the debacle of the Jon Jones/Rashad Evans title fight that was to happen in August, the UFC needed a new top contender to the UFC Light Heavyweight Division. Quinton â€œRampageâ€ Jackson put himself in the title picture now after soundly defeating Matt Hamill by unanimous decision. Quinton Jackson even did it while fighting with a broken hand, which he didnâ€™t reveal until after the fight had concluded. Also notable was how much Quinton Jacksonâ€™s takedown defense improved in that fight, which is key if he gets a UFC Light Heavyweight Title opportunity.

Next Round For Quinton Jackson: A UFC Light Heavyweight Title shot against Jon Jones

Next Round For Matt Hamill: Thiago Silva, Brandon Vera or Luiz Cane

Round Two: The Fall Of A Fat Ass

Nobody can deny the overall toughness of Roy Nelson, but his lack of conditioning has been playing into the last two losses in the UFC. Frank Mirâ€™s victory should not be taken lightly because after the health issue with Brock Lesnar, now finds himself in the top five of the UFC Heavyweight Division. Frank Mir continues to show improved conditioning and his ability to out game plan his opponents in recent fights has been impressive. Depending on how the upcoming Junior Dos Santos/Shane Carwin fight plays out, there could be an interesting situation developing in the UFC.

Next Round For Frank Mir: The loser of the Junior Dos Santos/Shane Carwin fight

Next Round For Roy Nelson: Travis Browne or Mirko Cro Cop

Round Three: A Giant Tumbles

Stefan Struve is considered to be the future of the heavyweight division, but Travis Browne put a time warp in those plans. With one impressive looking superman punch, Travis Browne turned Stefan Struveâ€™s lights out and future success on hold. Travis Browne, who is undefeated in the UFC, now finds himself on the verge of becoming a contender in the division. Travis Browne is now in the same position as Matt Mitrione in the UFC, a fighter with tons of upside but not yet ready to fight the top five.

Next Round For Travis Browne: A rematch with Cheick Kongo

Next Round For Stefan Struve: Brendan Schaub or Dave Herman

Round Four: Two New Contenders

When folks tuned into the preliminary fights on Spike TV, they saw an epic battle as Demetrious Johnson defeated former WEC Bantamweight Division Champion Miguel Torres by unanimous decision. Demetrious Johnson may have to become a patient fighter for a little while, because he may have to wait until the Dominick Cruz/Urijah Faber fight ends to see which champion he faces. Brian Stann nearly found himself out of a UFC job a few years back, but he has gone undefeated since moving to the middleweight division. After handily defeating Jorge Santiago on Saturday Night, Brian Stann could find himself a few victories away from a title shot.

Next Round For Demetrious Johnson: A UFC Bantamweight Title shot

Next Round For Brian Stann: Wanderlei Silva or Jorge Rivera

Round Five: First Facebookâ€¦Now Twitter

The UFC took a huge step several months ago when they started airing live fights from both pay-per-view and broadcast events on Facebook. Now, the UFC has taken the next step forward in their social media expansion by advertising fighters Twitter accounts. This may seem inconsequential to most, but keep in mind that the UFC brass are now offering bonuses to fighters who most creatively using Twitter. Like them or not, one must hand it to the UFC for taking steps beyond the traditional ways of advertising in order to get more eyes on their talent.

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